Days in The Nights
by Aquamarine Columbine
Summary: A series of 30 prompt-based drabbles, set in Hueco Mundo. From Cirucci, to Ulquiorra, to the kidnapped princess, each day sheds light on a fragment of their world. Genres vary. COMPLETE.
1. Menu

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 1. Menu  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **1/1/10

**Summary: **If she wasn't, she would. But she was.

**Disclaimer:** My name is not Tite Kubo and I am not a genius mangaka. Go figure.

* * *

  
Orihime had always loved to cook, especially for her friends. If nothing else, she could at least do this for them. It was all she had.

_(Then that got taken away too.)_

The first meal that Ulquiorra gave her was some bland mashed potato with too much milk and not enough salt.

_(If she wasn't here by choice, she'd have declined.)_

_(If she wasn't frightened, lonely and lost, she'd have offered to share.)_

_(If she wasn't certain she had no choice, she'd have flown to the kitchens.)_

But she was. So she ate, because the food was all she had.

* * *

I present to you the first in a series of 30 drabbles, one for every day of January 2010! Gah, it's hard getting used to writing 2010.

Prompts in this story are all my own, generated from a random generator:

watchout4snakes(dot)com(forwardslash)CreativityTools(forwardslash)RandomWord(forwardslash)RandomWord(dot)aspx

And no, there is no 'www.'


	2. Personnel

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 2. Personnel  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **2/1/10

**Summary: **They are more alike than you'd think.

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is far too awesome to be owned by me.

* * *

Seireitei and Las Noches are supposed to be complete opposites. But they aren't – not really.

Aizen will relentlessly cut down his subordinate – and Yamamoto will not hesitate to do the same if it will fulfil his goals.

The end justifies the means.

Both hierarchies are built on power. Whoever has the power ends up on top. That's the ways it has always been.

The streets of Seireitei and the pristine halls of Las Noches are not so different. The only real comparisons are the people – or monsters – that fill them.

And even they are more alike than they should be.

* * *

Seriously, if you really look at it then the two places are hardly different at all - they both have an Espada/Captain with mindless killing intent, both have crazy-insane scientists and both have lazy peace-lovers who happen to be extremely strong fighters.


	3. Compulsion

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 3. Compulsion  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **3/1/10

**Summary: ** The formula definitely needs tweaking.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach, and I don't even own bleach. But my mum does.

* * *

"I told you to keep an eye on him!" the pink-haired scientist bellowed as they sprinted down the hallway.

"But I was!" Nnoitra whined.

"No excuses – just _run_."

Closing in onto their subject's reiatsu, Szayel cringed as he recognised whose domain they were now in.

* * *

"I don't know if I really want to know the details," Ulquiorra deadpanned, "But would you care to explain this?" Saying so, he pulled open the door to reveal Grimmjow, purring contentedly and completely tangled in multicoloured wool.

There was a long silence.

Finally, Nnoitra spoke. "I think the formula is a lil' bit off."

* * *

*cringes* I know, I know, old, overused clichéd storyline, but I had no idea what to do for this prompt.


	4. Fellow

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 4. Fellow  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **4/1/10

**Summary: **Fighting on the same side of the war does not make you friends.

**Disclaimer:** Iay on'tday ownay eachBlay.

* * *

Aaroneiro sat quietly in the dark, thinking. Gazing into the blackness, his thoughts wondered to his fellow Espada. If he were to be killed, what would their reaction be, if any? Would they care?

_No, they wouldn't,_ he thought. That was a ridiculous question. Doubtless, they'd think him incompetent.

He was one of the weakest, relatively speaking, and hence he was automatically put down near the very bottom of the chain. He wasn't cared about by anyone, but this was to be expected, as he didn't particularly care for anyone else.

There was no sense of fellowship among the Espada.


	5. Double

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 5. Double  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **6/1/10 (supposed to be 5/1/10)

**Summary: **It's like a lightning bolt, but faster.

**Disclaimer:** [insert witty disclaimer of choice here]

* * *

Zommari Leroux was the fastest sonido user among all of the Espada.

Even if they didn't show it, and never would, all the others respected, maybe even admired, his speed.

He was practically invisible as he flew through the air – nobody's brain could even process it quickly enough, and it was like seeing double.

His speed was unnatural – unlike anything seen before, even by Espada standards. It was obvious when even Stark felt a slap of wind in his face and realised that he had been overtaken.

Yes, Zommari was extraordinarily fast.

But in the end, he wasn't fast enough.

* * *

Slight exaggeration? Maybe.


	6. Potato

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 6. Potato  
**Word count: **100  
**Date: **6/1/10

**Summary: **Ah, the perils of pronunciation.

**Disclaimer:** This is a work of fiction. Any resemblances to _Bleach _anime characters, living or deceased, are completely uncoincidental.

* * *

"YOU'RE WRONG! W – R – O – N – G!" Nnoitra yelled, spelling it out to (somehow) make his point clearer.

"NO I'M NOT! I CAN'T BE WRONG, BECAUSE I'M RIGHT!" Szayel bellowed back. Very logical beings, the Espada are.

"YES! YOU'RE WRONG, DAMNIT!" Nnoitra screeched even louder, as if being more vocal would somehow make him more right.

"PROOVE IT!" Szayel pulled out the final trump card.

Scowling, or at least frowning more than usual, Ulquiorra threw a thick, though small, book at Szayel's head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Nnoitra's right," he said, turning away in annoyance. "It's tom**_ah_**to, not tom**_ay_**to."

* * *

WHUT? Can it be? Nnoitra is right about something Szayel isn't?! Well, it's gotta happen sometime...probably...

I feel like I need to do some explaining. From country to country, the words potato and tomato may be pronounced differently - some countries may say it pot-ay-to and tom-ay-to, while others say it pot-ah-to and tom-ah-to. The book Ulquiorra-kun tossed at Szayel's (lovely pink) head was a dictionary with phonetic guide.


	7. King

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **7. King

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **He is their king, but not their King.

The Espada don't really see him as their King, Aizen knows that.

A King gets faithful, unwavering loyalty. A King commands respect with every word. A King is obeyed instantaneously and without question.

None of the Espada are loyal out of respect (and some aren't even loyal at all), but simply fear. It is the fear of what they know Aizen can do that causes them to submit to his rule.

Many of the Espada have their own selfish reasons for following him (though not all of them). For them, he is simply a means to an end.

It isn't really obedience, but a mixture of obligation and a sense of self preservation . They had absolutely no choice.

And they all know Aizen doesn't really see them as his subjects.


	8. Appearance

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **8. Appearance

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **He may see less...but he sees more.

Tousen doesn't really care about appearances. Aside from the fact that they make no difference to him, he believes that you cannot know a person by simply judging the surface.

His ex-vice-captain, Hisagi, was a good example of this. Tousen had known that the boy had apparently a punk-like appearance. Many of the lower members were rather alarmed by his look.

Tousen himself did not understand this. He couldn't have asked for a more mature, responsible and hard-working vice-captain.

There were many things that Tousen would never see - but in many ways he saw more than all of them.


	9. Crowd

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **9. Crowd

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **The debut of Las Noches' latest musical sensation.

"Just how many people did you tell about this, Grimmjow?" asked Ulquiorra, aghast, as he peered through the curtains.

"Oh, a few people here and there," replied Grimmow vaguely.

"Yeah, not to mention the whole of Las Noches," muttered Szayel. Nnoitra shot him a sideways glance.

"Nervous, eh, Pink?"

"I could ask you the same question, Spoony."

"Oi! We've had this conversation before;_ I'm not a freakin' spoon. _My uniform is awesome."

"Awesome for eating soup with."

"Places," Ulquiorra interrupted them, as Illforte began their introductions. A few seconds later, the curtain lifted.

"Dudes and dudettes," Grimmjow roared, "we are..._ESPARTA_!"


	10. Ambient

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **10. Ambient

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **It is everywhere.

There aren't many things Gin misses about Soul Society, but one thing he does miss is the colour.

The bright organe of Rangiku's hair; of persimmon.

The florid pink of Shunsui's robe and Byakuya's zanpukuto.

The clear blue sky; the lush green grass; the vibrant meadows of flowers.

And here...it is all white. Everywhere, everything, all of it is completely...white.

Plain, suffocating, _white _white.

Pure and sterile; while Tosen may approve, he does not. The white feels too clean. Strict, uniform, boring, and uncomfortable, he doesn't like it.

White – the colour of emptiness.

In fact, it's not even a colour.


	11. Necessary

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **11. Necessary

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **She would only be here as long as was necessary.

That – that _thing _– what was she?

She was a monster. Yes, a monster.

Why did He care about her? What use would a monster be to Him – He, who had everything?

He didn't need her. She was nothing. Worth nothing. Capable of nothing. _Nothing_.

Why was that _monster _held in higher regard than **herself**? She would turn traitor in a second to save her precious _friends_.

**She** would do _anything _– even _die _for Him.

That monster must be a temporary ornament – only as long as was necessary.

And then **she**would be there to make sure that she was nothing.


	12. Identical

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **12. Identical

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **She sees past the reflection.

Whenever she looks into a mirror, she sees not herself, but instead a sleepy, gloved grown man with tousled brown hair.

The reflection shows a small, helmeted girl – but she sees past that.

Stark is as much a part of her as she is of him. The know each other better than anyone else.

She acts as his Fraccion, but they are much closer than simply that. Stark is her older brother. They understand each other ins strange ways only they can.

Though they are both very different, neither will go without the other. In this way, they are identical.


	13. Beautiful

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **13. Beautiful

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **She is worthless.

She isn't beautiful anymore, now. She's weak. She's worthless. She's an outcast, locked away in Tres Cifras where no one will ever find her.

She used to have it all. But then, _they_ came along, overshadowed her and pushed her aside.

Stripped of her rank, her dignity and all of her pride, she was tossed away like a rag doll that had become just too tattered.

It leaves a bitter taste in her mouth because there is nothing she can do.

She can only exist, praying that someone would find her beautiful and worth something again.

But nobody ever will.


	14. Striking

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **14. Striking

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Pairings: **Any male EspadaXOrihime...I intended this one for a certain pairing, but it came out sounding like another :S

**Summary: **That girl is interesting.

There is something about that girl.

She's a novelty object, one-of-a-kind, never before seen in Las Noches, or indeed anywhere else.

She's interesting. Her powers and her determinedly loyal temperament.

Her attitude is a concept foreign to the Arrancar. Being creatures of rage and insanity and other negative emotions, they cannot understand her.

Not many of them would bother to try, but he does. She sparks his curiosity.

They say curiosity killed the cat. He can't help it; it's only in his nature to try and find the solution to the riddle.

If only he knew what the question was.


	15. Stun

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **15. Stun

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **There is nothing quite like it.

There is nothing quite like the feel of a cero.

Though it is not something you would particularly _want_ to feel, it is certainly a unique experience.

Assuming you're strong (or the cero weak) enough and don't immediately die upon contact, the first thing the cero would do would be to stun you – though you wouldn't feel any pain yet.

You'd be paralysed for a fraction of a second, then, almost as if it had been lagging, the full force of the attack would hit you like an avalanche.

And _then, that's_ when it would start to hurt like Hell.


	16. Overlap

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **16. Overlap

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **They're more than just Hollows.

They were different from normal Hollows.

They weren't beastly – not in the same way – but almost...human.

They thought, they spoke, the interacted with each other. There was no "Beef, pork," for them.

It was difficult, because it made it that much harder to think of them as enemies.

They weren't just creatures of pure instinct, but civilised, intelligent beings. They served Aizen because they _knew _better than not to.

No, they weren't _just _Hollows. They were real _living _things, who _felt._

Maybe that was the real power of the Hōgyoku. It gave them not just power –

– but also their humanity.


	17. Arguing

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **17. Arguing

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **All she wants is a cup of tea.

"I will! I'll get Halibel-sama's tea!"

"Like Hell you will! How many leaves, Halibel-sama?"

"Leaves? That'll take forever! You should use tea bags!"

"Are you kidding me? Tea bags?"

"Tea is tea. It doesn't matter which you use."

"What would you know, Sun-Sun? You never _make_ tea!"

"Maybe you should ask Halibel-sama instead of arguing like a pair of idiots."

"FINE, Miss-I'm-Better-Than-You...tea bags or leaves, Halibel-sama? Tea bags, right?"

"Well, I-"

"SEE! I TOLD you! Halibel-sama wants LEAVES!"

"TEA BAGS!"

"CREAM!"

"SUGAR!"

"FORGET IT!" Halibel roared, finally snapping. "If it's going to take this long, I'll make my own tea."


	18. Floor

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **18. Floor

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **Luppi never saw it coming.

Luppi never saw it coming.

_Wha...what...how? How did? How?_

He had no idea what he had just seen - even as Aizen explained he was confused. Then, as Orihime healed Grimmjow's number 6 tattoo, he realised something was off.

And then everything seemed to slow down.

What ...what's happening?

He gasped as he felt a shooting pain in his abdomen, and looked down in shock to find Grimmjow's arm stabbed right through.

He cursed Grimmjow with what little breath he could manage, and the last thing he saw was a glowing red light.

Luppi never felt himself hit the ground.


	19. Enquiring

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt: **19. Enquiring

**Word count: **100

**Date: **29/1/10

**Summary: **Just one damn thank-you.

Tesla often wondered why he was loyal. It wasn't like Nnoitra was the nicest, or kindest, or even the strongest master (though he would never, ever say this aloud)

Nnoitra was completely ungrateful. If Nnoitra was thankful then Yammy would turn into a fairy.

Just once in his life, Tesla wanted a damn thank-you. Even so, he would always remain loyal.

And now here he was, lying on the ground, cursing his own stupidity.

And Nnoitra-sama... was gone. The last words spoken to his Fraccion echoed in Tesla's ears.

"...idiot, run Tesla!"

Ah. There it was. There was his thank-you.


	20. Inherit

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 20. Inherit

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **He hated him.

Szayel hated his brother.

As much as he hated to admit it, there was a clear resemblance between the two.

Their faces looked similar, save for the hair, and when older and younger brother's mouths twisted in a leer their smirks were indistinguishable.

But Szayel hated him - hated him for being weak - and looked down on his elder.

He wasn't quite sure why, but Illforte made his blood boil with cold rage whenever he looked at him.

Whenever he looked at his older brother, he saw so much of himself.

Maybe that was really why he hated him.


	21. Rock

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 21. Rock

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **Their first meeting.

Nel blinked dully. Her head was sore, but other than that she was fine.

There were two others, watching her in concern. One was short and thin, and the other had a very large head.

"Who'r you?" she asked curiously.

If the two felt any surprise, they hid it well. "I am Pesshe, Nel-sama," said the thin one.

"And I am Dondonchakka," the taller Arrancar put in.

"Dondonchakka hath a head like a wock," Nel mused.

The two Fraccion exchanged looks. This was an unexpected development...but maybe it was for the best. Both smiled as Nel announced, "Let'sh be fwiendsh!"


	22. Shining

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 22. Shining

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **So innocent, yet so menacing.

It sat there, on the podium.

It was such a small thing for something with so much power – capable of blurring the line between Shinigami and Hollows, its power was unbelievable.

It wasn't much to look at; a small orb that looked vaguely crystalline, dark purple in colour, it looked just like and oversized marble.

But if you held it – that was a different matter. It vibrated ever so slightly, almost as if it was alive.

Sheer power, condensed into a small, glass-like ball; so dreadful, yet so innocent to look at as it simply sat, shining, on the podium.


	23. Parliament

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 23. Parliament

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **What really goes on at meetings.

"So, does anyone have any ideas?" Aizen asked, chin resting on steepled hands.

"How 'bout we tie him up and drown him in acid?" suggested Nnoitra.

"We could lock him in his room, and set fire to it!" Yammy said.

"Or feed him the acid," Szayel added.

"No, no, _I've got it_,"Grimmjow said. "We tie him up in his room, then fill it with burning acid!"

"Dude, is that even _legal?_"

"S'never stopped me before."

Unheard, Stark whispered to Halibel, "I thought we were talking about ideas for Ulquiorra's birthday party."

Halibel smiled slightly behind her collar. "We are."


	24. Description

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 24. Description

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **Grimmjow, on himself.

How would Grimmjow describe himself?

Strong. He knows that he's strong, and he sure as hell ain't gonna rest until he's the strongest.

King. He doesn't take orders from nobody.

Right. He's always right. The only reason those idiots went and got himself killed was because they were weak.

And how would others describe Grimmjow?

Foolish. A thoughtless beast who doesn't know when to stop.

Deluded. Thinking he can do whatever he wants, when everyone knows he can't.

Thoughtless. Sending five Arrancar to their doom without a second thought.

Grimmjow knows which description is really true.

And it isn't his.


	25. Approximation

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 25. Approximation

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 29/1/10

**Summary: **Yammy was not an intellectual.

Approximation.

That was a big word. Yammy did not like big words.

As far as he could see, 'close guess' meant the exact same, and as it was nice and short he'd stick with that, thank you very much.

He like the easy solutions; someone's causing trouble, cero them in half.

Yammy was quite obviously not an intellectual, but that was fine. You could take your numbers and Szayels and twisted Divine Chessmaster plots to rule the world – he was happy where he was.

Free food, his own mutt and a job of blasting people into oblivion.

Life was good.


	26. Snap

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 26. _Snap_

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 30/1/10

**Summary:**Oh snap.

"Oh my God oh my God oh my –"

"It was an accident, I swear, we – we didn't mean it, did we Grimmjow?"

"Oh my – yeah! It was an accident! An accident!"

"And – and – I swear, we'll make it up to you!"

"Yeah, anything! Anything you like! Right, Nnoitra?"

"Yeah, yeah – and I'm sure there's no _permanent _damage!"

"We'll pay to have it fixed, we will!"

"Or at least, we would, if we had any money..."

"You broke... my horn." It was at this point that the fifth and sixth Espada turned tail and _fled _from a positively murderous-looking Ulquiorra.


	27. Canvas

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 27. _Canvas_

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 30/1/10

**Summary: **Long, smooth brush strokes stretch through space and time.

Aizen is an artist, and the worlds are his canvas.

The story is painted out in monochrome shades of grey.

Painted out with long, smooth brush strokes that stretch through time.

Every now and then he adds a splash of colour, bright and blinding.

Often the painting becomes abstract and confusing, so that you can only see what he's made if you squint and turn you head to that angle and stand at just the right distance.

He will mix and mix and mix colours until yellow becomes blue and pink becomes green.

He especially enjoys painting with red paint.


	28. Empty

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 28. _Empty_

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 30/1/10

**Summary: **He feels nothing.

He feels nothing, now.

Doomed to an eternity of waiting for his death, he can only wait. Waiting takes up all the energy that would have been used to feel.

He wasn't perfect, after all. He knows he should have seen it coming. Paradoxically, his delusions of_ being _perfect caused his own downfall.

There is a cruel, fitting sort of irony in that.

He does, however, find a sort of closure in the fact that there was somebody out there who was just as twisted as himself.

It's not much, but it's enough to reassure him that it's the end.


	29. Child

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 29. _Child_

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 30/1/10

**Summary: **Pure, innocent, child.

Wonderweiss _is _a child.

His powers may be exceedingly strong – capable of putting one of the most experienced captains of the Gotei 13 on edge – but his mentality is in its infancy.

He is maybe luckier than the others in this – he is unaware of the horrors, the evils, the darkness of life.

He has the uncorrupted innocence of a child, and is free to live happily chasing dragonflies.

He is not exposed to any of the drama between the Espada; the eternal struggle for power, the conflict; the fights.

As Hollows go, he is the closest to pure possible.


	30. Peace

**Days in The Nights**

**Prompt:** 30. _Peace_

**Word count:** 100

**Date:** 30/1/10

**Summary: **They had been prisoners with no hope and no future.

The Espada had been prisoners.

Prisoners in a world of rules and regulations and blank white walls.

Each day of their existence was painful. Being Hollows they harboured feelings of anger, resentment, aggression and regret.

Ulquiorra buried these emotions away in a corner of his soul, so they would no longer leech away at his non-existence.

There was no future. There was no hope. There were only his orders.

He knows he should have been angry at his defeat, his failure. But instead he felt content.

As the blackness claimed him, he was finally free, and at peace at last.

* * *

I'd like to say a huge thank-you to all of you who've made it this far, it's always good to know people actually _read _this stuff. Any comments of any are welcome sort (heck, even flames are welcome, though not encouraged.) especially if they have to do with the writing itself; I'd love to see what I can improve on – sometimes I feel as if the writing gets a bit repetitive, for instance. But anyway, review or don't review at you leisure, and thanks again :D

P.S. To the poor people who got 20+ chapter alerts flooding their inbox...I am SO desperately SORRY! OTL


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